Psalm Two.
1 Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One.
3 “Let us break their chains,” they say,
“and throw off their fetters.”
4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.
5 Then he rebukes them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
6 “I have installed my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”
7 I will proclaim the decree of the Lord:
He said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have become your Father.
8 Ask of me,
and I will make the nations your inheritance,
the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You will rule them with an iron scepter;
you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear
and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry
and you be destroyed in your way,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him. [Endnote 1]
The Background and Theme.
It is believed that David wrote this Psalm (re. Acts 4:25) toward the end of his life when his son Solomon was enthroned as king (1 Kin. 1)[Endnote 2]. Psalm Two shows the futility of universal rebellion against the Lord and the blessedness of peoples that put their trust in the Son of God [Endnote 3]. God is in control no matter what forces may try to go against Him.
Psalm Two takes place on the day of Solomon’s coronation as king and at the same time it also points us to the Messiah. David was pointing to the day when God’s Son would become the king of this world bringing an end to evil. This Psalm contrasts the wicked who rebel against God and those who are loyal and take refuge in Him.
Psalm Two has some parallels[Endnote 4] that can be found in the literary structure of the writing. David wrote this piece with a quasi-chiastic structure with the pattern A, B, C, D, D, C, A, B. Here are the verses that correspond to each other:
A — Heathen rage
v1 Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
A — Heathen learn
v10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
B — Acts of disobedience
v2 The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One.
v3 “Let us break their chains,” they say,
“and throw off their fetters.”
B — Acts of obedience
v11 Serve the Lord with fear
and rejoice with trembling.
v12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry
and you be destroyed in your way,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
C — God judges
v4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.
v5 Then he rebukes them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
C — Son judges
v8 Ask of me,
and I will make the nations your inheritance,
the ends of the earth your possession.
v9 You will rule them with an iron scepter;
you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
D — God sets Son
6 “I have installed my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”
D — Son quotes God
7 I will proclaim the decree of the Lord:
He said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have become your Father.
The Impact.
The part of Psalm Two that struck me the most is an element that you see in the world today. In verse one the nations and people make efforts to “conspire”. The NIV text translates this word in verse one from the Hebrew word רָגְשׁ֣וּ (ragash). This word can also be translated as “tumult”, “commotion”, “rebellion”, “restlessness”, and “uproar”.
As I think about the current state of the world you have people that conspire to cause evil. This evil manifests itself in many hurtful ways from warfare, terrorism, torture, etc. However, as ugly as those actions are the reality is that ragash happens in more subtle ways too. These actions leave us all in a state of tumult, commotion and restlessness.
The part of this Psalm that leaves me with the most hope despite the evil in the world is the fact that the Messiah is on His way! This Psalm is considered the first of several Psalms called “The Messiah Psalms”[Endnote 5]. Everyone that decides to take refuge in the Messiah will be called blessed. As we talked about yesterday, this blessing comes by our choice.
A choice to follow the Messiah.
A choice to let Him lead in our lives.
A choice to not partake in evil.
A choice to let Jesus be our refuge.
This word refuge (ח֪וֹסֵי) in Hebrew tells that Jesus is the safe place we need to survive the evil of the world. Not only that, and this paints a picture of a harsh God in the minds of some, but He is the God that will protect and defend us. God is not shy about telling the world that we will be defended as His children. Thus, this Messiah Psalm gives a warning that we should not dwell in evil because wrath will come to us.
And if we choose to take refuge in Jesus a blessing of salvation is ours to enjoy. May we enjoy the blessings of following Jesus!
Grace and Peace,
Geraldo
_____________________________
Endnotes:
1. The Holy Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984. Print.
2. Dybdahl, Jon L., ed. Andrews Study Bible Notes. Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 2010. Print.
3. Nichol, Francis D., ed. The Seventh-Day Adventist Bible Commentary. Vol. 3. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1977. Print.
4. Witthoff, David, Kristopher A. Lyle, and Matt Nerdahl. Psalms Form and Structure. Ed. Eli Evans. Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2014. Print.
5. “The first of the Messiah psalms, Ps. 2, has been appropriately called a Song of the Lord’s Anointed”. Nichol, Francis D., ed. The Seventh-Day Adventist Bible Commentary. Vol. 3. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1977. Print.
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